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New chief Steve Schmidt, right, a veteran of the Bush campaign, will focus on honing mccain's message. Republicans have complained the campaign lacked clear themes.

In campaign stops, Sen. Norm Coleman and DFL challenger Al Franken traded barbs and offered ideas on how to keep U.S. drivers and the economy chugging.

Wednesday's rescue in colombia of three U.S. military contractors and politician Ingrid Betancourt from guerrillas came as Sen. John mccain was visiting the South American nation.

Facing growing dissatisfaction both inside and outside his campaign, Sen. John mccain ordered a shake-up of his team yesterday, reducing the role of campaign manager Rick Davis and vesting political adviser Steve Schmidt with "full operational control" of his bid for the presidency.

COLORADO SPRINGS, July 2 -- Continuing to press the themes of values, faith and patriotism, Sen. Barack obama exhorted Americans on Wednesday "to step into the strong currents of history" and volunteer for service to their country, pledging to dramatically expand opportunities for those accepting...

CARTAGENA, colombia, July 2 -- Sen. John mccain (R-Ariz.) spoke repeatedly Tuesday and early Wednesday about how he would work as president to free three American hostages held by leftist guerrillas in Colombia, but he declined to reveal one key fact: Colombian President �lvaro Uribe and his aides...

In his final months in office, President Bush is mounting a last-ditch effort to forge a new global deal to limit greenhouse-gas emissions but finds himself once again at odds with much of the rest of the world on how to address climate change.

LONG BEACH, New York (Reuters) - With his wetsuit around his waist, Peter Flintoft walks wearily along the Long Beach boardwalk. While worn out by the surf, he is not yet tired of the lengthy U.S. presidential campaign.

Ingrid Betancourt, a former Colombian presidential candidate, was held by rebels for six years before Wednesday's rescue

Some of obama's centrist views put his support from liberal bloggers at risk.